Some victories are measured in trophies. Others mean much more. This one had both. James Morrison, a 40-year-old DP World Tour pro, was about to lose his DP World Tour card. That’s when he showed up on the golf course for the Rolex Grand Final with his son, Finley. Finley was caddying for Morrison in one of his most important matches, his last hope to get the card for the 2026 season. Regardless of whether Finley inspired his dad, Morrison finished the event at the top of the leaderboard.

As news about Morrison’s career break came out, fellow English golfer Tommy Fleetwood took to Instagram to congratulate the two. He reposted the victory news post shared by HotelPlanner Tour on his story and wrote, “How great is this story!! Congrats @jamesmorrison2121 and Finley. Amazing story….amazing sport!! Congrats to everyone who got their @dpworldtour card 👏”

The 40-year-old had a sort of career resurgence at the event. Morrison has thought of quitting golf many times since his last win in 2015. He has even been vocal about the pressure of tournament golf. Last year, he lost his DP World Tour card and was playing the HotelPlanner Tour this year. He had a final opportunity at the Rolex Grand Final. He was in the HotelPlanner Tour Category 10. On Day 1, HotelPlanner Tour posted an Instagram update saying James Morrison has his son caddying for him at Mallorca.

Before the event, Morrison was 36th on the Race to Mallorca standings. Only the top 20 on the list were to get their DP World Tour card. At 36th, the climb to make it to the 2026 season seemed very difficult. However, Morrison’s victory at the event helped him jump 30 positions. After the win, he now sits in the 6th position and has successfully received his card for the next year.

“More than ever. I haven’t enjoyed golf the last three or four years; I’ve made it such a burden. Playing golf competitively has been a joy. Having Finn next to me, he’s been on the road since he was born, he’s been around the game long enough to know it and understand it now. He can be there next to me and he’s enjoying himself as am I, it’s been a great time,” Morrison said about having his son caddying for him.

Tommy Fleetwood thinks that it is a great story because he had a similar emotional moment at the 2025 DP World India Championship. Just a week before winning the tournament, his son told him that he had never run on the 18th green after his victory. In just a week, Fleetwood made it possible by winning at the Delhi Golf Club.

After the victory, Fleetwood’s son Franklin was seen running on the green towards him and hugging him. “But all day today, I had in my mind, could I put myself in a position where I could actually make that moment happen? It’s just one of those little things that means a lot to me. It means so much to me. That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day,” said Fleetwood after his DP World India Championship win.

While Tommy Fleetwood shared a congratulatory message for fellow Englishman James Morrison, there are many others on the list to get a DP World Tour card for 2026.

Top candidates in the Race to Mallorca

South African JC Ritchie finished on top in the Race to Mallorca standings. He won three times on the HotelPlanner Tour to make it to the top. He won the German Challenge, the Portugal Open, and the Italian Challenge Open. Thanks to his 3 wins, 1 runner-up, 1 3rd position, and three finishes in the top 10, he climbed his way to the top. Following him is Scotland’s David Law. The 3x HotelPlanner Tour winner won twice this season. He won at the D+D Real Czech Challenge and the Vierumaki Finnish Challenge. Besides that, he had 2 runner-up and 5 top 10 finishes.

Maximilian Steinlechner from Austria is third on the list, thanks to his breakthrough win in his home country and strong performances in China. While he won only the Interwetten Open, he finished as a runner-up in the Hangzhou Open and the Hainan Open. And then he made it into the top 10 twice more. Other notable graduates include Hugo Townsend (son of Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend); British players Euan Walker, Daniel Young, and Joshua Berry; South African Daniel van Tonder; and Swedish player Albin Bergstrom, who snatched the final 20th spot with a strong final event showing.

James Morrison’s victory with his son by his side has become one of the season’s most heartwarming moments. Like Tommy Fleetwood, many fans and other golfers have congratulated the 40-year-old DP World Tour pro. The others who have made it to the top 20 at the end of the Rolex Grand Final will play in the 2026 tournaments, too.